Grandparents

One of the most precious gifts a child is given is a grandparent. A grandparent has been a parent. They have experienced all the things. They enter their role with great wisdom coupled with the absence of anxiety. You see, they have made all the parenting decisions. They have made all the mistakes. They see the fruit. Their child is now a parent. It worked out. I’m sure, they would have loved to do things perfectly, but that is not how life works. Grandparents bring a rare peace to a child’s life. They can be present in a very special and unique way. They can bring the best of parenting without the burden of training and disciplining.

I have been blessed to have 4 grandparents. They all left my life at different times. I would love to talk about what each brought to my life, what they meant to me and how they still manage to affect me and show up for me, but that would take too many pages. Instead, I will share the image that shows up when I think of them.

Grandpa Ray is wearing worn jeans and a plaid shirt. I can’t seem to place him in one place. He is on the tractor, in his shop with his large red tool boxes accompanied by the smell of grease. He is at the table watching the news over breakfast, working on his puzzle in his green chair in the living room, standing at the door of the church greeting people, and handing me the comics section of the newspaper with a grin, knowing it was my favorite. He was hard working, gentle, firm, and playful. He often picked wild flowers in the field and brought them back to my grandma. He left in 1999. I told him about my first teaching job before he left. He never met any of his great-grandkids, but I know he loved the ones we lost.

Grandma Hazel is wearing a long-sleeved pink blouse and jeans. She is pulling weeds in the garden while her bra hangs on the fence. She is hanging laundry on the clothes line. She is making cookie dough, so my brother and I can decorate sugar cookings. She is snapping beans on the porch. She is always drinking coffee and thrilled when I start to join her for a cup. She is piddling in the kitchen, always moving. She is sitting at the table playing Sudoku, eating Almond Roca, and drinking hot chocolate with me. She is perpetually busy, yet always cheering us on. She left in 2014. She survived two bouts of breast cancer. It was the ovarian cancer that wore her down. She lives on in my daughter’s light. She is the pansy that always blooms through the snow each winter.

Grandpa Layton is wearing slacks and a button shirt tucked in. He is sitting at the head of the table drinking his milk with ice in it. He is sitting in his chair watching all the happenings in the living room. He is helping my dad put together a new toy (tool) at Christmas. My brother and cousins see him hunting and camping. He was the definition of a mountain man. He would have thrived living in the mountains all his life. He gave us a gift of living in a house by the railroad tracks and sharing his life with his family. He left in 2016. My favorite image of him was when he sat in his chair by the window and allowed my two young daughters cover him with stickers. He found joy in watching the life spring from them.

Grandma Martha is wearing purple and serving us pie, washing the dishes, or sitting at the table playing games. She is sitting in her chair with her crochet basket full of projects at her side. She sees everything. She plans family get-togethers. She organizes games for the cousins. She feels full when surrounded by her kids and grandkids. I hear her voice. She always answered the phone saying my name. She always told me she loved me at the end of the call. She loved to know what everyone was doing. She left in 2025. I will miss our talks. Her spirit joins my girls and me as we bake pies. Her spirit drives us to be together as often as we can.

My grandparents all made an impression on me. They all left a part of themselves with me. I can find them threaded throughout my life. I am more because they invested in me. Each moment with them was a special gift. I’m grateful I can continue to carry them with me and share them with my children.

May all grandparents be blessed and may they know they are a precious treasure to their family.